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If there’s a phrase to explain how Austin Smotherman is playing at the Cognizant Classic this week, it’d be ‘pretty awesome.’ Sure, the PGA National is hosting the weakest field of the event, but Smotherman’s performance is commendable, nonetheless. Heading into Sunday, he ranks 5th in SG: Off the Tee and 2nd in Greens in Regulation. The stars behind this lead? Well, a series of interesting club choices.

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Smotherman uses a Titleist GT3 driver. Costing around $449, the driver is available in 8˚, 9˚, 10˚, and 11˚ for both righties and lefties. Smotherman uses the 10˚. However, whatever you choose, you can be sure that this one will provide plenty of spin and forgiveness, exceptional impact feel, and impressively high ball speeds across the face.

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He uses the Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX shaft for his driver, which costs $250. He also uses the Golf Pride Grip ($10) and the SMU Mustangs driver cover ($60).

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The 31-year-old Smotherman uses the Titleist GT2 Hybrid, costing $329. So, if you’re looking for something higher-launching and more forgiving long-iron replacement, this is it. He also utilizes TaylorMade’s SIM Max Rescue hybrid ($5,659), which not only looks great at address but hits higher and lands softer.

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His fairway woods are from TaylorMade, where he uses the brand’s Qi10 model. It has a super clean Infinity Edge, with carbon fiber running right to the top of the face. Smotherman’s fairway woods (3-wood 15° loft) improve turf interaction, eliminate energy loss on mishits, and cost around $5,800. It delivers an ideal blend of distance and forgiveness. The major issue, however, is definitely its price.

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Meanwhile, when it comes to his irons, Smotherman uses Titleist T250 irons. This $1,505 club promises consistent distance across the face, is easy to launch, has a high flight, and is pretty consistent front-to-back distance. Smotherman typically starts with the 4-iron. Smotherman also uses the brand’s T100 ($215) 8-iron, which, as is the case with the brand’s irons, offers pretty consistent front-to-back distance.

The other clubs in Austin Smotherman’s golf bag

If you’re still following Austin Smotherman’s club selections, his wedges are worth a look, too. He uses Titleist Vokey SM10 wedges, priced at $155.99. These wedges offer enhanced responsiveness for better feel from 50, 60, or 70 yards in, helping you play more instinctively without second-guessing adjustments. He also uses the Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks B1 Proto model, a custom-designed club.

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That’s probably what’s helping Smotherman this week at the PGA National. Yes, despite the many criticisms the course has recently faced.

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Lastly, onto Smotherman’s putter. His putter is definitely hot this week. He made 132 feet of putts on Thursday. Heading into the final round, he ranks 8th in SG: Putting, and was once first in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining nearly five shots on the field. That’s quite a contrast to his season-long average, where he ranks 157th on the PGA Tour in the same category.

So, what does he use? It’s the L.A.B. DF3 putter, priced at $581, suitable for golfers with standard specs. DF3 putters focus on forgiveness and stability, with a high-MOI mallet design that limits twisting and aids distance control. It stays square naturally and handles mishits well. And it shows, especially in the case of the pro.

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Smotherman has always been a solid iron player. He ranked third in Greens in Regulation on the Korn Ferry Tour last season. Now, however, he ranks third in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green on the PGA Tour in the early months of the season.

So, which one suits you best?

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Written by

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Sudha Kumari

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Sudha Kumari is a Golf Writer at EssentiallySports, where she has filed over 700 bylines covering the sport's biggest stages. She holds a Master's in English Literature, which shows in how she turns a day's leaderboard movement into a clear, readable story. Her live coverage of the 2025 Masters, when Rory McIlroy faltered on the brink of the career Grand Slam, is among her best-known work. She follows both the sport's history and its week-to-week shifts, and her writing gives readers the context behind a result rather than only the score. A lifelong golf fan, Sudha believes today's dark horses are tomorrow's legends, and she splits her coverage between the established names and the players starting to break through. When she isn't tracking tournament trends, she is digging into player backstories, working from the view that the game is as much about the resilience behind a shot as the number on the card.

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Edited by

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Deepali Verma

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